Troubles and Triumphs
by TwistedKeysandSnare
Summary: A oneshot collection based on reader suggestions. PM or comment any ideas!
1. Calm Before the Storm

Calm Before the Storm

 **Author's Note: This is the first story in a series of One Shots I will be writing, getting one out hopefully every week. I need topics for the next one! Please comment or PM me a prompt and I will be sure to give you a shout-out and credit for the idea.**

 **This first one is by a guest named Maisy O. and she suggested a scene where Stef cuts Callie's hair.**

 **I set it after the episode Sex Ed, (4 x 15) the night before another daunting meeting with Robert's lawyers.**

 **P.S. I've decided to end Grounded and I am still working on Temperature, but writer's block has been killing me.**

The stars glistened in the dark sky as Callie stared up at them, laying on the lush grass. Her eyes explored each speckle, possibly contemplating her own life as she lost herself in the vastness of space. That was, until a pair of confused blue eyes pulled her from her thoughts.

Stef bent over, her face blocking Callie's view of the stars. Stef chuckled. "When Mama told me you were out here, I thought she was crazy." Stef took Callie's hands and pulled her up, bringing her daughter into her side. Stef opened the door to the kitchen, holding it open as Callie stepped through. Callie strolled towards the fridge, finding a bottle of water and taking a seat on one of the bar stools lined up to the counter.

Stef stood with the arms rested on the counter, looking her daughter up and down. Seemingly out of nowhere, she opened one of the cabinets and pulled out an old white sheet and some sharp scissors from the nearest drawer.

"Your hair is getting so long. It seems unmanageable these days, Cal." Stef thought aloud, placing the objects on the counter. Callie shrugged.

"Come here." Stef said, patting a nearby seat. Callie suspiciously shuffled over, sitting where Stef gestured her to.

"Your hair is still wet from your shower, yes?" Stef asked, running a hand through her hair.

"What are you doing?" Callie asked, smiling a bit. Stef grinned in response. "I'm going to cut you hair."

Callie jumped up from the chair, giggling. "I'd rather not be bald, thanks."

Stef chuckled, pushing her daughter back to the chair by her shoulders. "Very funny. I'll have you know that in high school I used to cut my best friend's hair all the time." Callie raised an eyebrow at her mother.

"It's true! I did it in all sorts of styles! I can surely handle doing a little trim on your sweet head." Stef said, pressing a kiss to Callie's hairline.

Stef picked out a hair tie from Lena's purse and effortlessly tied Callie's hair up. She draped the sheet around Callie's shoulders and neck and clipped it with some clothespins, securing it around her daughter.

"Wait here a minute, love." Stef said, running upstairs to grab some essential supplies: a comb, brush, bobby pins, a spray bottle, and a hair dryer. She jogged back to Callie, who patiently sat on the chair.

"All right, babe. You ready?" Stef asked lovingly, spritzing her hair and pulling it out of the pony tail. She combed it out, gently untangling each knot from her daughter's dark brown locks. After clipping the ends off each lock of Callie's hair, Stef laid the scissors on the counter and turned on the blow dryer, circling it around her head.

As Stef swept up the hair from the kitchen floor, Callie went about returning each item to its correct place. Her efforts were rewarded with a lingering hug, an act of love that was beneficial to both parties.

Stef walked up the stairs with Callie buried in her shoulder, leading her to the bedroom that she shared with her sister. As Callie climbed into her bed, Stef knelt by her side, smiling sentimentally at this precious and common bedtime routine. Stef smoothed the blankets over her daughter's sleepy figure, saying goodnight with a kiss on the forehead. Stef left the room that night with a sad smile on her face, praying to anyone listening to give Callie luck in the upcoming trial.


	2. Stress and Skateboards

Stress and Skateboards

 **Author's Note: This one-shot is based off of a guest's suggestion of adding more detail to the part in the season 2 finale when Mariana hurts her ankle, i.e. how the moms react, her stress about the dance competition, and all the other issues going on in the Adams Foster household that were pushed into the background to make way for the big stories and the drama. I will stick mostly within the show's bounds- my favorite fanfictions involve missing scenes and things that could believably been included in the show without changing up the plot too much. Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. Enjoy the story!**

 **-A.J.**

Stef's day could only be described as crappy. In the morning, she said goodbye to Callie, who was headed to spend a weekend with the Quinns, which she knew would inevitably cause her heartache for the next few days as she desired nothing more that to keep her daughter under their roof. The night before, she had watched from the doorway as Callie packed up the items she needed: a few t-shirts, 2 sweaters, pajama pants, toiletries… She forlornly asked Callie if she had packed everything that was necessary for the weekend, as her daughter tried to put on a brave face and pretend this didn't affect her.

She pulled Callie aside for a quick conversation, kissing her forehead when she heard the doorbell ring. She opened the door, and the sight of a smug looking Robert in a $500 suit made her blood boil.

After a brief, yet nonetheless irritating fight with her wife, she was off to work in the polyester police uniform that fit her about as well as a burlap sack. Her day at work wasn't much better. She and Mike got into a stupid argument and barely talked, Captain Roberts recruited her for a boring desk job, and her favorite lunch spot was sold out of chicken burritos. By the end of the day, she smiled, thinking of returning home to her wife and beautiful children, but was soon hit by a wave of sadness when she remembered that Callie wasn't going to be there.

Just as she zipped up her work bag, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Digging through keys and change and her badge, she finally located her phone and read the name on the caller ID: FOSTER. Suspecting that one of the kids had used the home phone to ask for takeout for dinner, she answered with a lighthearted "Yeah?"

However, instead the voice of one of her kids, she heard the scared voice of Ana, her twins' birth mom.

"Stef? Is that you?" The frantic voice asked.

"Yeah. What's going on? Did something happen?" She asked, shocked by the tone of the other speaker.

"It's Mariana. She… fell… Jesus left his skateboard… or something like that. She's sitting down… but she says it hurts. I can't tell how serious it is…"

"Okay. I'm on my way. Tell her to stay calm." Stef hung up the phone and jogged to her car, speeding through traffic to get to her little girl.

Once she pulled up to the house, she dashed inside to find Jesus and Mariana arguing loudly.

"Hey!" She yelled. "What the hell happened?"

Mariana spoke up. "Jesus happened. He left his skateboard right in front of the staircase and I slipped on it on my way downstairs."

"Maybe if you had slowed down and actually watched where you were going, you wouldn't have gotten hurt." Jesus retorted.

"Enough! I'll talk to _you_ later." Stef said, her pointer finger aiming at Jesus, as Emma walked into the living room with a fresh ice pack for Mariana's ankle. "Where's Ana?" Stef inquired more calmly, as she looked around for the woman.

"She went to buy Mariana some crutches from the drug store." Jesus answered with his arms crossed.

"Alright. Let me take a look at your ankle, Miss Thing." Stef said, taking a seat on an adjacent arm chair and putting on her glasses. Stef carefully unwrapped the poorly wrapped layers of the bandage. She noticed a little swelling, but nothing too concerning.

"Can you wiggle your toes for me?" She asked, looking up to meet Mariana's eyes. She smiled as her daughter moved her toes without much discomfort.

"Good. Now can you move your foot up and down?" Mariana did so, grimacing a bit.

"So it isn't broken… but it sure looks like you sprained it, babe." Stef said, standing up and patting Mariana on the knee.

"Great." Mariana said sarcastically and looked Jesus dead in the eye. "You've ruined my chances of winning the dance competition, you idiot!" She yelled, grabbing a coaster from the coffee table and promptly chucking it at his face. Before it had the chance to hit its intended target however, the quick hand of their mother caught it, bringing it down to her side and dropping it back to where it sat only moments ago.

"Mariana!" She said sharply in a hushed tone. "I understand that you are frustrated right now, but when have we ever thought it was okay to throw things at each other?" Mariana inaudibly grumbled from her place on the couch.

"Apologize to your brother. _Now._ " She said, crossing her arms.

"Sorry Jesus." She mumbled. "But what am I supposed to do? I had a whole plan and choreography and everything, but if I don't dance we'll be disqualified!" Stef took a seat next to her on the couch, adjusting the icepack draped on Mariana's foot that had shifted during her sedentary yet rage-filled moment of violence.

"Well babe," She started, flipping the icepack over and placing it in a more effective position. "You are certainly dancing with that ankle." She paused for a moment. "Hmm. This is just a setback. You'll just have to be creative. Think outside the box. You are so brilliant, it astounds me. I know you'll figure it out." She gave Mariana a smile before checking the clock. "I'd better get started on dinner, babies. If Mama gets home and has to do it all by herself, she'll probably make me sleep outside."

Ana soon returned, a pair of silver crutches in her hands. Stef reimbursed her for her purchase, thanking her for taking the trip. Mariana and Emma had gone upstairs, though Emma bobbed down the stairs after around 20 minutes, promising to be back soon. She soon came back through the door again, this time with a large plastic tub, but for the life of her, Stef couldn't figure out what was inside.

It was a relief for Stef when she heard Jude and Lena enter their house.

"Hey bud! Did you get to see Connor?" Stef asked, drying her hands with a hand towel and stepping over to greet them.

"Yep." Jude said, giving a modest smile.

"Well, a little more happened than just that." Lena said, tilting her head to the side, looking at Jude with a genuine yet mischievous grin.

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?" Stef chuckled.

"Connor is kind of my boyfriend…" Jude said, his cheeks turning pink.

Stef raised her eyebrows at Lena. "My gosh, you are growing up way too fast for my liking." She said, pulling him into a hug.

Jude scampered upstairs to tell his siblings while Stef and Lena finished making dinner. Stef begrudgingly ventured upstairs with two plates of food for Mariana and Emma in her hands a little later; she would have preferred if the girls ate downstairs with everyone else. However, her stubborn daughter claimed they needed all of their available time to complete their choreography, so she let it slide.

Stef sat and ate with Jude, Lena, and Brandon, yet her eyes lingered to the empty seat where Callie usually sat. As the meal was ending, Jesus rather suddenly entered the kitchen, grabbing some food from the table and not hesitating to scarf it down.

"I thought you went to a team dinner, Jesus. What are you doing home?" Lena inquired, looking slightly disgusted at her son's table manners.

"I went. I'm still hungry." He said before glancing at the clock on the oven. "Oh, yeah. I forgot. The Flintwood recruiter is going to be here in like 20 minutes."

"What?" Stef asked in outrage, gathering her plate and utensils and putting them hastily in the dishwasher.

"Yeah." Jesus said absentmindedly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Lena asked.

Their son shrugged. "Slipped my mind, I guess. Sorry moms."

"Oh boy. C'mere Jesus, you're going to help us clean this place real fast." Stef said, giving him a noogie on their way to the nook.


	3. What If?

**Author's Note:** This one shot is kind of a "what if" story- focusing on the idea that Stef had talked to Callie about AJ kissing someone else instead of Mariana (from 4 x17).

Mariana sighed as she climbed the stairs and walked through the familiar hallway. She had been sent upstairs to her bedroom to inform Callie that dinner was ready, and due to Callie's grumpy mood, she was not looking forward to it. Earlier in the day, Callie had told her, but denied any further discussion on the topic. As she reached the door to the bedroom she shared with her sister, she contemplated knocking, but decided against it and just opened the door.

Callie sat casually on her bed, scrolling through Instagram on her phone.

"Hey." Mariana said. Callie glanced up for a second, but turned her attention back to her phone.

"We're gonna eat dinner in a minute. Mom sent me." Mariana said, her mood still neutral.

"Not hungry." Callie mumbled.

"Well you still have to come down." Mariana retorted, crossing her arms and strengthening her stance.

"I'm not hungry, Mariana!" Callie said a little louder. "Just tell Moms I'm sick or something." Mariana turned to leave, but Callie's voice stopped her.

"Wait. You didn't tell them about AJ, right?"

"Nope." She lied, before stepping out of their room and closing the door behind her.

She walked back downstairs to the kitchen, where the family had begun to gather at the table.

Lena was the first to speak. "Hey, sweetheart. Where's Callie?" Stef turned around to face her daughter after Lena posed the question.

"Um… She's fine. She has a stomachache or… something." Mariana took a seat as fast as possible, nudging her twin to start a conversation on a new topic.

The meal progressed as usual, with the rest of the kids talking and the moms dishing out more food for their hungry brood. As dinner began to wind down, Stef began placing some chicken, vegetables, and bread onto Callie's empty plate.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Mariana asked.

"Well, Callie is certainly not getting away with skipping dinner. If it sits out any longer, it'll probably get cold." Mariana tried to play it cool as Stef picked up the plate and brought it upstairs to her daughters' room.

She rapped on the door quietly, before opening the door and stepping inside to face her daughter. Callie laid on her bed with her eyes distant, the covers of the bed sloppily draped over her figure. Stef gave her daughter a modest smile as she approached the bed.

"Hey, sweets." She said. Callie kept her attention on her phone as her mother set the plate of food on her bedside table and knelt next to her.

Stef opened her mouth to speak, but taking in Callie's distracted state, she shook her head. She gently wrestled the phone out of Callie's hands and placed it beside her dinner on the end table. It was only when Callie looked up and made eye contact that she continued to speak.

"So Mariana tells me you have a stomachache." She said, brushing the hair out of Callie's face. Callie shrugged.

"Well are you alright, my love?" Stef asked her daughter, bringing her hand up to Callie's face again and lightly pressing the back of her palm on her forehead. "You don't feel warm." She observed, fixing the covers to fit over her snugly.

"I'm fine." Callie finally spoke. "Just not hungry."

"Well you have to eat something. I'm not going to send you to bed without some dinner in you. At least a few bites, Callie." She said sternly, yet full of love.

"Stomachache." Callie said in a dismissive tone.

Stef moved to sit on the bed next to her daughter. She crossed her arms and looked Callie in the eyes. "Now we both know that is complete crap, Callie." Callie gulped. "And although I do not appreciate you and Mariana lying to me about it, I can see why the real reason you are sulking up here is not something you really want to advertise." She said, softening her gaze. Callie sighed.

"You know?"

"Of course I know. I'm your mom, Cal. I know everything." Stef said, laying a hand on Callie's forearm.

"Was it Mariana? Ugh… I'm gonna kill her."

"Hold on. I'm glad she told me. Otherwise I wouldn't know what was going on in that head of yours, Callie, and I need to know what's going on with you." Callie looked down at her hands.

"I know this sucks, Callie." Stef said calmly, scooting over on the bed to face her daughter. She took Callie's hands, making eye contact as she attempted to decipher the girl's inner feelings on the topic.

"You don't know anything about this." Callie said coldly, ripping her hands out of her mothers'. Stef sighed. _I do know about this._ Stef thought, thinking back to the incident between Lena and Monte. _I wish I didn't, but I do. Of course I can't tell Callie that…_

She snapped herself out of her own thoughts. "Okay, but I do know what it feels like to get your heart broken." She said, laying a hand on her daughter's knee over the blanket. "And as I said before, it sucks."

Callie nodded.

"But I think that we may not have the whole story here. I'm not saying that I know this for a fact, but sometimes a kiss is just a kiss. And sometimes… a kiss happens because someone is just an asshole. We don't know for sure. But there's one way to find out."

Callie frowned. "I don't know what to say to him."

"Your relationship is a two way street, my love." Stef started. "If you aren't happy about something, you've got to speak your mind. You'll never fix anything if you stay silent." Stef smiled down at Callie.

"Come here." She said, opening her arms to accept her daughter into an embrace. Callie obliged, leaning forward and resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

"I love you, baby." Stef whispered.

"Love you too." Callie responded quietly, mumbling into Stef's shoulder. Her mother wrapped her arms around her tighter, happy that in this moment, she could take some of her daughter's heartache away. Callie pulled back slightly, looking for more advice from her wise mother. Stef saw this in Callie's glance and held back a chuckle.

"Talk to him tomorrow. In person. Give him some time to process what happened. You need some time to process it. That way, when you see him tomorrow, your emotions won't get in the way so much. You'll be able to talk about it calmly." Callie nodded, absorbing every helpful hint that Stef was providing her.

Stef reached to the bedside table. She picked up the plate and sat it on her daughter's lap. She gave Callie a stern and loving look as she handed her a fork. "Eat that. Afterwards, you are going to apologize to your sister. For being rude." Callie gaped. _How did she know these things?_

After watching Callie take her first bite, Stef turned on her heel with a sad smile on her face. _My poor baby,_ She thought. She closed the door gently, leaving Callie to her thoughts. Sighing, she headed downstairs to finish dinner with the rest of the family, glad that she was able to help her daughter.


	4. Out of the Fire

Out of the Fire

 **Author's Note: This missing scene one shot is set during EQ, (3x16) when Callie comes home after Rita's daughter's attempted suicide. The end of this episode really intrigued me, because when AJ goes outside to comfort Callie, he mentions that he heard what happened, meaning that Callie told some other people in the family. So prepare yourself for some more Stef and Callie bonding and enjoy the story!**

Callie slowly and quietly turned the doorknob to her house. She knew her moms would be suspicious; she never came home this late. She'd missed dinner, but a text message she had sent in the early evening excused her from the family meal. She stepped inside cautiously, wanting nothing more than to sit in her bedroom alone, processing the sad event. Unfortunately, her mom was sitting in the living room, typing something up for work with a glass of wine in her other hand.

Stef smiled at Callie. She set down her laptop and wine glass on the coffee table in front of her before turning away from Callie and beginning to straighten the blankets on the back of the couch. Callie stood awkwardly near the front entrance of the house with her coat and backpack still on and a death grip on her keys.

Faced away from her daughter, Stef greeted Callie. "Hey, I was just about to call you. You hungry? Mama made you a plate. It's in the oven." She turned around to look at Callie.

"How was your night?" Stef asked casually, looking at Callie with kind eyes.

After hearing her mother's questions, Callie's eyes began to water. Her backpack and keys dropped to the floor, and she brought her hand up to her face to wipe the tears. Stef launched forward, fear and concern evident in her face.

"Hey, hey, hey… What's going on?" Stef asked, gently prying Callie's hands from her tear soaked face.

Stef set her hands on Callie's upper arms. "R…Rita…Rita's dau—" Callie tried to speak, explaining the night's events to her mother. But before she could say anything that could be understood, she choked on a sob, with more tears spilling down her face before she could stop them.

"Come on. Shh... You're okay." Stef laid one hand on Callie's back, hoping more contact would help to calm her hysterical daughter down. Callie sucked in a shaky breath. "Relax, honey. Deep breaths." Stef took the sleeve of her sweater and wiped the tears from Callie's face, trying to slow her own heartbeat as her maternal instincts were demanding: _What happened to my baby?_

Once Callie had calmed down a bit, Stef couldn't wait any longer. She needed to know what happened that evening. Tears still slowly ran down Callie's cheeks, but she was confident in her ability to speak. Stef looked at Callie forlornly as she opened her mouth. "Rita's daughter… She tried to kill herself tonight. She left me this message on my phone… Rita wasn't taking her suicide threats seriously… But something wasn't right… I called the paramedics… I was just so scared… that she would die." Stef brought her devastated daughter into her arms.

"Come here, babe." Stef pressed a kiss to Callie's temple. "But she's okay?" Stef asked in a whisper. Callie nodded in her mother's embrace. Stef bent down a little to be on Callie's level.

"Do you know how proud you make me?" Stef asked, separating a bit from her daughter while keeping a strong hold on her upper arms.

Callie looked up at Stef, confusion written in every crease of Callie's face. "What did I do to make you proud?" Callie asked sadly, in a whisper of sorts.

Stef moved her hands up and down in Callie's arms. She gave her an intense look, one that was sharp yet backed with overwhelming love and compassion. "Hey. I want you to listen to me, Cal. You make me proud everyday. Being able to finally, _legally,_ call you my daughter… one of my greatest joys, baby. As for today- you saved a life today, Cal. And from what you told me, you helped to improve Rita's relationship with her daughter. And that's all in a day's work for you, Callie. Helping people is a second nature for you. That's something to be proud of for sure. You should be proud of yourself."

Once again wrapped in a loose embrace, Stef heard Callie mumble something into her shoulder. "What was that, Callie?" Stef asked, tilting her daughter's chin up to make eye contact with the younger girl.

"Um… I love you… So much."

Stef's eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled at Callie. "I love you too, honey. More than you'll ever know." A genuine smile spread across Callie's face, alongside a single tear. She felt herself leaning forward, letting all of her weight fall into her mother's strong arms.

Stef smiled silently as Callie's head found its way to rest on her shoulder. She pivoted to bring Callie into a side hug, then with a firm and reassuring hand around her daughter, Stef led the two of them to the kitchen. Callie took a seat at one of the bar stools in the kitchen as Stef wandered to the fridge. Callie looked up expectantly at her mother. "I know you're probably not too hungry, but I do need you to eat something, Cal."

Callie nodded. Stef pulled Callie's favorite kind of soda out of the fridge and set it on the table for her daughter with a small smile, moving to the oven to pull out the plate that had been fixed for Callie. She warmed in in the microwave before placing it front of Callie, taking a seat next to the girl. Callie moved her fork around her plate absentmindedly until she saw Stef's unimpressed expression and took a bite. Stef wrapped an arm around Callie's shoulders.

"Can I be excused? I… I just want to sit outside for a minute." Callie asked as she chewed her last bite.

"Sure, sweets." Stef said, picking up Callie's plate and taking it to the sink, watching her daughter exit the house and sit on a nearby bench. Stef heard footsteps as she dried the plate, and turned her head to find AJ walking to the fridge.

"Oh, sorry. I was just getting a drink of water." He said, reaching for a bottle of water from the fridge.

"No, you're fine. Stef and AJ both glanced out the window at Callie.

"Oh, Callie's home?" AJ paused. "Is she alright?"

Stef turned to face her daughter's boyfriend. "Yeah. She, uh, had a pretty rough night."

"What happened? I mean… it's not really my business. Sorry."

"No, you have a right to know. Well, Rita's daughter tried to kill herself this evening, and Rita wasn't taking her daughter's mental health very seriously, so Callie called for help. It must have been a pretty scary scene when Callie arrived… so she's a little shaken up." Stef ran a hand through her hair.

"You don't think… uh… You don't think she'd want to see me right now, you know? Yeah. She probably just wants to left alone for now." AJ turned to go back upstairs.

"No, wait AJ. Um, I think seeing you would make her feel a lot better." Stef said, drying her hands with the dish towel on her left.

"Okay. Yeah." AJ said, smiling a little, as he made his way to his girlfriend.

Stef smiled, watching her look up at him, then she went back to the living room and sat down, grateful that Callie had found someone as caring as AJ to be with. _She got one of the good ones._ She thought, chuckling under her breath as she turned her attention back to her work.


	5. Box of Memories

**Author's Note: I haven't posted anything on here in months, which I feel pretty bad about. I've started several stories, but writers block and unintrest in my own ideas stopped me from finishing them. Anyway, this one shot is about Stef, Callie, Lena, and Jude looking through old pictures of them as kids. This is set sometime in 5A because I feel like we need some Callie/Moms fluff right now. The story also revolves around Callie and Jude becoming closer again, as they haven't really talked much recently. Enjoy!**

 _What a fun activity to be doing on my day off…_ Stef thought as she dug through one of the hall closets in search of items to donate at Lena's request. As she placed yet another unused item of Mariana's into the plastic bag, a brown shoebox caught her eye. She pulled it off of its dusty shelf, opening the lid and peered inside.

Lena walked over, another bag in hand. "Hey, just thought you could maybe use an extra—What's that?" She asked, walking closer to her wife.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure it's the box of old pictures Donald gave Jude for Callie's birthday." Stef said, flipping through the stacks of photos.

"Oh, wow. I don't think I've ever seen any of these." Lena said, reaching out an arm to help Stef stand up from her place on the floor.

"Yeah, me neither. Jude insisted that he did everything, including picking all of the pictures." Stef said, grinning at Lena, who returned her wife's smile.

Callie clutched the straps of her backpack as she walked the last block home. Art class, while interesting and fun, was taking a lot out of her. She had been staying up late racking her brain for inspiration, not wanting to come into class with no idea what she was going to create. Lost in her own thoughts, she unlocked the door to the house and set her backpack down on the bench, turning around as she saw the door open again.

Jude walked into the entry way of the house, his head dipped, with his eyes focused on the phone in his hand. He cracked a smile at a text message before tapping in a reply. Callie frowned at him, waiting for him to acknowledge that she was standing only feet from him.

"Jude." She said. He picked up his head and nodded dismissively.

"Are you going to say hi to me or something?" Callie asked annoyedly.

"Hi." He said, shrugging, before placing his backpack down and wandering to the couch. Callie sighed. Things with Jude had been harder lately, as he had grown up and found his own life that didn't involve her anymore. She was pulled from her thoughts again as she heard a voice from the kitchen as well as two sets of footsteps coming from the kitchen.

"Callie? Jude? Is that you guys?" Lena called.

"Yeah." Callie said, taking off her jacket as she saw her two moms walk into the living room. "It looks like it's just us four for dinner tonight. Everybody else had plans for Friday night, I guess." Lena said, looking at both of her children who seemed so distant from each other.

"Oh, you know what Mom found this afternoon?" Lena asked, motioning to Stef to bring the box into the living room.

Jude looked up from his phone and smiled at the box in his mother's hands. "Hey… it's that box of pictures from Dad." Callie jogged from the front door to join her parents and Jude near the couch, cracking a smile at the box that was undoubtedly filled with happy memories.

The group of four sat on the couch together, preparing to search through the box when Stef spoke. "Man, it has been so long since we were able to spend some time with just the two of you." She shook Callie's shoulders gently before pulling her into a half hug. "You know, these days, you're just too busy to hang out with your old moms… with your boyfriends, and afterschool activities…" She said, feigning hurt as her wife giggled and her kids looked up at her with modest smiles.

"Yeah, this is nice." Lena remarked, slinging an arm over each of her children. "I think we have some cookie dough in the freezer, Jude. Are you in the mood for making cookies? For old times sake?" Lena smiled at her son.

"How about it, bud? I think cookies sound delicious." Stef said.

"Sure." Jude said, smiling, as he abandoned his phone on the coffee table and followed Lena to the kitchen.

Back in the living room, Stef sunk into the couch as she turned her attention to her daughter. "So, how was art class today, my love?"

Callie shrugged. She didn't want to admit that it was difficult; she just wanted Stef to be proud of her. "It was good. I like art class." Stef didn't know if she entirely believed her daughter, but decided not to push the issue further.

"Well Cal, what do you think we should have for dinner tonight?" Stef asked. "Pizza?" She responded in a hopeful tone. Stef rested her hand on Callie's knee.

Stef grinned as she called out to Lena. "Hey, honey! Miss Callie wants pizza for dinner. You okay with that?"

"Go ahead and order, babe." Lena responded.

Stef turned to her daughter. "Pizza and cookies? Who is this person pretending to be Mama?" Callie laughed as she laid her head against Stef's shoulder as her mother picked up the house phone and dialed the number for their favorite pizza place.

When the cookies were in the oven, Jude and Lena joined Stef and Callie on the couch as Stef passed out stacks of pictures to each person. 30 seconds had not yet passed when an "Aww!" came from Lena as she held up a picture of Jude as a toddler, wrapped in a bright green turtle towel. They turned their attention to the set that Lena held, flipping through each picture featuring a tiny Jude with scruffy wet hair. As Lena picked up the next picture, a small Callie was revealed, wearing a similar getup of a swimsuit and towel.

"There's one of our Callie girl!" Stef exclaimed, taking the picture and passing it to Callie, who looked down at the smiling face of her younger self. "And look at that! She still has that same beautiful smile as she does now!" Stef continued, pulling Callie close and covered her cheek with kisses while Callie grimaced, scrunching up her face at all the attention she was getting.

Callie and Jude continued looking through the contents of the box as Stef and Lena went to pay the pizza delivery boy and gather plates. Jude felt a pang of guilt as he looked at all the pictures on the table. He saw Callie hugging him, Callie playing with him, and he knew that not long after some of the pictures were taken, she'd be protecting him.

He started laughing as he came across a picture of his sister at around 3 years old, standing in the middle of the sidewalk wearing a diaper and a sombrero. "What's so funny?" Callie asked after taking a bite of pizza. He turned the picture around to show it to Callie, whose eyes widened as she tried to snatch the picture from his hand.

"Jude! Give me that! Ew! I hate that picture so much!" Callie said, fighting laughter as she lunged forward, trying to grab the picture.

"What are you guys doing?" Stef asked through a smile as she saw her kids wrestling for a picture on the couch.

"No, Jude! Don't let Moms see!" Jude freed himself from the couch and handed photo to Stef. "Wow! Some fashion sense you got there, babe." Stef said, chuckling.

"It hasn't improved much." Jude said with a grin. Callie slapped him on the arm and frowned. Lena entered the room with plates and drinks. "What's everybody laughing at?" She asked, setting the tray on the coffee table. She began to giggle as she saw the picture.

"Well I think it's cute." She tried to hide her laughter. Callie turned an odd shade of pink. Stef sat beside Callie and handed her a second slice of pizza. "You are such a cutie." She said, nudging Callie in the arm.

The moms put on a movie as they all sat on the couch together eating their pizza and cookies. The movie was halfway through when Stef and Lena went to the kitchen to make some popcorn. Jude hesitated for a minute before poking Callie in the shoulder as she whipped her head around to face him.

"Um, I really love you Callie." Jude said, looking up nervously.

"I love you too." Callie said causally.

"No. I'm sorry I've been kind of an ass lately. I mean, you're the best big sister I could ask for."

Callie smiled brightly as she brought him in for a hug. The two siblings leaned against each other as their parents came back into the room, smiling at each other as they observed their kids.

When the just the popcorn kernels were left in the bowl and the final scene of the movie was on the screen, the Adams Fosters were pretty tired. Jude's eyes were drooping shut as he laid into the couch and Callie had dozed off completely against Stef's shoulder. Jude leaned to turn of the T.V. and Lena flipped on the lights. Stef sat stoically, not wanting to jostle the sleeping girl resting against her. "I don't think she's gotten much sleep lately." Stef whispered to her wife. "I'll give her another minute to sleep, then I'll send her upstairs. You two go on up to bed, I got it." Stef said with a smile.

Jude swooped down and gave Callie a kiss on the forehead. "G'night." He murmured, then walked upstairs with Lena.

Callie began to stir as the door opened and the rest of the Adams Fosters kids filtered through the entryway and upstairs. She picked her head up from Stef's shoulder and groaned as the light hit her eyes.

"Hey. Did you have a nice nap?" Stef asked, brushing Callie's slightly tangled hair off of her face. She nodded.

"Art class is pretty tough, isn't it?" Stef turned to face her daughter.

Callie looked surprised for a minute, but she knew of Stef's gift to read her emotions like no one else could.

"I mean, maybe it wouldn't be if I was an actual student in the class, but doing that combined with school is just a lot of work. It's really fun and everything, and Ximena is awesome, but I'm always so busy." Callie admitted.

"Yeah, so I've noticed!" Stef said with a smile, before looking at her daughter with a serious expression.

"I'm so proud of you for trying so hard at this, you know?" Callie nodded. "I just don't want to disappoint you… again." She said, the last word coming out as a whisper.

"Baby." Stef said, pulling Callie into her side. "You are trying your absolute best, and that speaks volumes to me. All of this hard work is just helping to turn you into the amazing person that I know you're going to be… that you already are. I love you, my baby." Stef said, pressing a kiss into Callie's temple.

"Love you too." Callie said back, leaning into her mother's kind embrace as they sat in silence after a night of pictures and sugar and unconditional love.


End file.
